Author: Dillion Fox
When it comes to owning a puppy, there’s a whole lot to think about as a new owner - vaccinations, diet, puppy obedience training, coming up with that ’special’ name. And then, of course, there’s the housebreaking! In my opinion, there’s no better way to instil good housebreaking rules, keep your puppy (and your possessions!) safe and sound while you’re out, and give your puppy his own refuge than through crate training.
Crate training puppies is a great idea for a whole ‘raft’ of reasons, and is infinitely more preferable than keeping your puppy in the yard while you’re out. If you want to get your partnership with your new puppy off to a great start AND keep your sanity for the rest of your dog-owning life, then you need to read these……..
3 Essential Tips for Crate Training Puppies!
1. Crate Training Puppies is NOT Cruel
Often, when people mention crate training puppies, peoples’ first response is to decry the cruelty of keeping an animal ‘penned up’ in a cage. In all reality, though, crate training truly provides an instinctive “den” for your puppy. In the wild, a coyote or wolf pup spends virtually the first Ten weeks of its life in a safe lair its mother has prepared. When done properly, crate training puppies mimics this comforting lair as a safe place to sleep and escape from the outside world.
When you’re out of the house or you decide to go on vacation with your dog, the crate is a wonderful way to guarantee that both your home/car and your puppy stays safe and ‘in one piece’! What crate training is NOT, is keeping your dog in a cage for 8 hours a day with total neglect to it’s most basic needs. Cruelty is leaving a puppy in the backyard to possibly be stolen, eat something poisonous or be ‘open’ to nasty weather. Crate training is, in short, the very opposite!
2. Crate Training Puppies.. Goes Hand-in-Hand With Housebreaking!!
Forget those dirty puppy training pads, newspapers, and other housetraining products that may often hinder your puppy’s housetraining! Breeders, animal shelters, and other experts have been crate training puppies with great success for decades and view it as an excellent way to install the desired housetraining concepts.
So what makes it so effective? A puppy will naturally try to put off soiling his resting place. If left to roam the house, your puppy will eventually go into another room to relieve himself. If crated, your puppy will try and wait until he has an opportunity to leave his “den” and relieve himself elsewhere.
This doesn’t mean you should leave your puppy in his crate for hours and expect him to “hold it.” Puppies, like children, have tiny bladders and digestive systems. In order for crate training to be successful in the early weeks of your puppy’s life, he should be taken out every hour-directly from the crate to the yard. Another great benefit to crate training puppies, as it relates to housebreaking, is that if he DOES have an accident, a crate is much easier to wipe than, say, a Persian rug or that silk dress you mistakenly left on the floor!
3. Crate Training Puppies - It’s for Life!
Most people who are involved with crate training puppies find the technique to be such a useful tool that they use crating, in some form, for the rest of the dog’s life. When a dog grows up considering the crate to be his refuge, he’ll consider the crate to be his own little ‘safe haven’ for as long as it’s available to him.
Many full-grown dogs sleep in their crates (doors ajar) at night, and many owners still crate their dogs when they go out for the evening or take a brief day trip. Many dogs also travel very well (and safely!) by plane and car when they are securely in their crates. Most dogs would much rather be in their crate, in a climate-controlled home with some special toys and a soft blanket than they would be out in the yard where they might get rained on, snowed on, or otherwise left to fend for themselves.
Of course, you should never leave any dog crated for more than 3 or 4 hours without a break to relieve himself. If you must crate your dog or puppy for any lengthy period, give a neighbour, relative, or friend the key to your home so they can take your dog out for a quick walk.
As you can see, crate training puppies is about so much more than just putting your dog in a cage and calling it “crate training.” Dog crate training is your pet’s security, your home’s preservation, and an effective way to bring up a well housebroken dog without a ton of effort. When done properly, crate training puppies doesn’t just make for proud owners-it makes for proud owners of happy, well-balanced dogs.
I hope you’ve enjoyed these free tips and techniques designed to Guarantee your Success and show you How To Train Your Dog the easy way.
